


Nosebleed

by argylemikewheeler



Series: Season 3 Add-ons & Fix-its [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Protective Mike Wheeler, Unspoken Mutual Feelings, Will Byers Has Powers, blood mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23283922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argylemikewheeler/pseuds/argylemikewheeler
Summary: The Battle at Starcourt is finally over-- the Mindflayer is dead-- but Will just doesn't feel right. He's dizzy, he's aching, and is he bleeding? He couldn't remember the last time he had a nosebleed like this...[Finally, a byeler oneshot that follows all the cliches of one half of a couple being hurt, but lying to other half as to not worry them-- but of course feeling worse and making the other person worry exponentially more]
Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Series: Season 3 Add-ons & Fix-its [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1414888
Comments: 5
Kudos: 151





	Nosebleed

Will didn’t remember thinking about anything other than catching fire-- about _maybe_ catching fire. About not throwing a lit firework fast enough and blowing himself up, rather than the massive _thing_ trying to kill his friends. He didn’t remember thinking about the monster _as_ the Mind Flayer... not really. Only when he was screaming and throwing his bundled firecracker over the balcony, near throwing himself with it.

Only when he could practically feel the rippling pulse of hundreds-- probably _thousands_ \-- of melted heartbeats all possessed and part of the Mind Flyer. Only when he remembered this monster was just a cloud of smoke before. Only when Will wanted to kill it for all the puncture holes it’d left in his peace of mind, claws still bloody with his innocence.

When the Mind Flayer collapsed, suddenly surging to a screaming and bloody halt, Will felt winded. He was surprised-- _relieved_ \-- and grabbed the balcony railing, standing beside Lucas to stare down at the structural carnage. Will tried to avoid looking at the human kind as well. He didn’t want to see any blood. It still made his skin crawl, made it feel cold and stiff. Like it could harden and he’d be okay with never moving again.

“Is everyone okay down there?” Steve yelled, pointing the rest of them toward the stairs at the other end of the second floor. Will only heard sobbing in reply, loud wailing and hurried coos of reassurance. “Hey! I need an answer! What are we looking at down there?” Steve started running, his legs wobbling slightly. Robin caught his back, pushing him up as she followed. Will began following Jonathan, when he passed by with Nancy-- Lucas having already taken off with Steve.

The moment he released the banister, Will felt his own legs buckle. He braced himself again, his back hitting the railing and his lungs sighing with a muffled _oof_. Will covered his mouth, hoping no one heard his discomfort, and felt something _hot_ start to slide under his fingers. He didn’t think he cried so much that his nose ran.

Pulling his hand away, Will felt all his muscles tighten, like they were trying to retract and keep him away from the danger-- the _blood_ smeared over his hand. The blood that was dripping from his nose and down his chin.

“Will? What’s wrong?” Jonathan called across the mall, having almost reached the stairs. “You coming?”

Will wiped his upper lip with his shirt collar and followed after everyone with a silent nod. He didn’t let go of the railing, gripping the stair banister all the way down to the open atrium of the mall-- or what was left of it.

He counted his three friends, moving and alive. And mostly crying. Max was inconsolable, despite both Robin and El-- and now Lucas-- trying to soothe her heaving cries. Nancy hurried to grab clothes from nearby shattered display cases to place over Billy’s-- to place over Billy. Will turned away and kept walking past ithem toward Scoops Ahoy, where Steve had hoisted Mike onto the counter before hurrying to the back.

“A-Are you okay?” Will tried to look at Mike, but couldn’t help but fixate on the streak of blood across his cheek. The cut on the left side of his nose didn’t look deep-- didn’t look like it was still bleeding-- but it was long. Will gripped the counter beside Mike as he stumbled to a stop. “Mike, are you okay?” Seeing Mike answer and shrug _nonchalantly_ made Will feel lightheaded. Why did Will having such strong feelings for such a colossal and _cool_ idiot.

“Yeah, Steve’s just being...” Mike crossed his ankles and adjusted his weight on the counter top. “He’s being extra careful. But I’m fine. Are you?”

“Yeah. Perfectly fine.” Will nodded and sniffled, hoping there wasn’t any blood trying to stream down his upper lip again. Will rested his back against the counter and faced the same way as Mike, just in case he wasn’t fast enough to cover up his lie. “Crazy, right?”

The manifestation of the worst days of Will’s life was _dead_ in front of them. He could feel the reach still, the attempt to connect and _sense_ what was there, but Will also felt cavernous. Something had left. Had left him _alone_ finally. He’d be free after not knowing he’d been with company for almost a year.

“Not the crazy I had in mind last year, I’ll tell you that much.” Mike muttered, clapping Will’s shoulder. The contact broke Will’s focus, startling him-- and his knees again. Will scrambled to brace his weight on the edge of the display glass. Mike’s hand grabbed Will’s sleeve, hoisting him up. “Whoa, are you sure you’re fine-- Steve, help Will up here.” Mike moved over on the counter, shoving the tip jar and straw holder onto the ground in one motion.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Will insisted. There was far more blood around him. Some was on his best friend... and some was _black_ and oozing out of his other friend’s sibling. There wasn’t any visible on him. He was fine.

Steve ignored Will and grabbed him under the arms, lifting him to sit beside Mike. The counter was barely big enough for them both, their legs pressing together. Will wasn’t going to complain, not really. It was nice to have someone touch him-- to feel like he wasn’t alone anymore. To know that even if his mind was wandering and his fear was taking over, his body could remind him he had support.

Will had been severed from Mike’s company during the scariest parts of the evening. He knew being with him wasn’t the most important thing in the bigger picture-- they were all trying to _survive_ \-- but to think something would happen to Mike when Will wasn’t there to at least try to help terrified him. Even if he would’ve just been the pair of eyes Mike found in his most wounded and worried moment was reason enough to be near him. And now Will was back with him, back with his best friend and smiling the best he could when staring at Mike’s cut.

“What’s wrong?” Steve had a flimsy and pathetic first aid kid tucked into his uniform waistband. “What can I do?”

“Really, Steve--” Will tried to wave him away, but was stopped-- his hands grabbed and pushed down to his lap-- by Mike.

“Will looks really pale a-and his hands are cold and clammy.” Mike spoke over Will.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jonathan overheard. Will shook his hands free from Mike’s. “Will, are you okay? What happened?”

“We killed a monster, that’s what happened.” Will said, hoping his voice didn’t wobble. “I’m just tired-- just _scared_.”

“Is that blood?” Jonathan grabbed Will’s collar, trying to get it to come off on his fingers. “A-Are you bleeding?”

“No, it’s blood from, uh, when we were cleaning El’s leg earlier. I had some on my shirt. I just wiped it. I’m fine. I don’t need the focus right now. I’m fine.” Will looked past his brother to Nancy, who’d taken over holding Max. She was smoothing her hair down, trying to slowly inch them away from Billy. The grief must’ve been unbearable for Max. Will didn’t want to try and speak over it with his queasiness and low, rumbling headache. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Someone should call 911.” Steve didn’t turn around, but he addressed the loss behind him.

“I don’t think the phones are working, Steve.”

“They aren’t.” Will was certain. They looked at him with slow-growing curiosity. Only Mike looked worried. “I can feel--” He could feel it. He couldn’t feel the hum of static or sense the jolting electricity that came from the hot wires. “I just know. The, uh, the lines are down in the parking lot. I saw them when we came in.”

“Hm, maybe the Todd Father’s got a car phone.” Steve said snapping. “Byers, let’s go.” Mike grabbed Will’s sleeve in case he misunderstood which Byers Steve was summoning.

“How did you know that?” Mike asked quietly. “The phones. How did you know that?”

“I saw it in the parking lot. The Mind Flayer must’ve caught in on reentry.” Will tried to make light of the destruction, coughing up a laugh. And maybe a little blood.

It was slick on his tongue, bitter and metallic. Will clamped his jaw tight and tried to keep from smiling with his teeth. He tried to _keep smiling_. Mike had his eyes all over Will, doubting his casual attitude and believing his tense body language far easier.

“That blood isn’t from El. Hers was dark, black almost. That’s red. That’s _red_ blood.”

“I’m wearing a dark colored shirt. How can you tell it’s red.”

“It’s still wet. It’s still drying, Will. That’s not her blood. Is it yours, Will? Is it _your_ blood?” Mike was suddenly too close to Will. He was asking questions and making it too easy for Will to let Mike-- _make_ Mike-- care about him and his mysterious injury (not that Will would call it that. It was _nothing)._

“Mike, we should really help El and Max.” Will pushed off from the counter and onto his feet--

Will didn’t remember doing anything else. He didn’t remember landing or even walking away from Mike. He didn’t remember Mike’s retort or even if he’d said anything at all-- other than what Will heard coming to, splayed out on the mall floor, head pounding and limbs aching in waves.

“Will! Will, can you hear me? Will! Will, wake up. I need you to wake up, okay? Will?” Mike was hovering over him, his hair hanging and framing his face. Will felt his head jostle and realized it was resting in Mike’s hands. He was speaking too loudly and the mall lights were way too bright, but he didn’t want to complain. He didn’t want to worry anymore.

“‘m okay.” Will swatted at Mike, but his hand never left his side.

“Holy shit thank _God_ \-- Will, you are not okay. Y-You’re bleeding and you fell and-- what’s going on, I need you to tell me. Tell us.” Mike looked up, down past Will’s legs briefly, making him aware of the other eyes staring at him. Some he knew from feeling-- Jonathan, Nancy, Lucas-- and others he could guess from the crowd of sneakers in his peripherals.

“I’m bleeding?” Will knew he could play stupid to Mike.

“There’s blood on your teeth-- in your mouth. I can see it. A-And I think there’s some on my hand s-so I don’t know if you hit your head and--” Will hadn’t thought there’d be any coming out of his ears too. “I need you to tell me what’s wrong. This isn’t a joke to me, I’m serious.”

Will tried to sit up but found the cradle of Mike’s hands far more comforting. He pushed his head down, trying to get Mike to lean over him further; lower his voice and block out the neon, fluorescent lighting. The hum of static was back; there was a working wire, working telephone nearby. Someone-- or something-- had entered Will’s senses.

“It’s really dead.” Will whispered. Mike nodded quickly, smiling with uncertain happiness.

“It is. It’s dead.”

“And I’m not.”

“Will--”

"I was part of the army, but I didn’t die. I’m still alive.” Will reached for Mike’s arm, fumbling to find it, to find the comforting reminder he wasn’t alone again. “Mike, I’m alive but--”

Above them, the front doors to Starcourt slammed open. Thin beams of light from a crowd of flashlights flcikered over their heads, across the loft. They called for survivors-- _how comforting_ \-- asking how many there were. If anyone was hurt. The group turned away from Will’s hushed confession to begin answering the aid.

Mike didn’t turn away. Didn’t even blink. “But what?”

“I was having a nosebleed.” Will’s fingers dung into Mike’s forearm, trying to explain-- or just apologize. “My nose started bleeding.”

Mike shifted under Will’s head, bringing his legs to one side. “Don’t say this to anyone. If anyone asks... Don’t say anything. Don’t let them know. We’ll talk to El later and we’ll... don’t tell _anyone_.”

“O-Okay.” Will nodded. Mike twisted his arm to grab Will’s in return.

“How long did you know you could-- _can_ \-- do... whatever it is you did?” Mike pulled on the hem of his own shirt, wiping the blood from his hands-- and finding it on Will’s cheek by his ears. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Not _us_ , not _them_. Why didn’t Will tell _Mike_. He didn’t sound betrayed, but almost like he wanted to be.

People dressed in all black-- military reinforcements, Will guessed by their guns and protective gear-- began streaming down the stairs and flooding the perimeter around them. Mike moved to cage Will’s head with his arms, still keeping their conversation private.

“I-I didn’t know. I didn’t. Not until it was dead-- and I was alone with... with whatever this is. I didn’t know, Mike. I didn’t.”

Mike lifted his head to look at the men trying to wave them out and away from the Mind Flayer. Will couldn’t focus on their words, couldn’t get his mind to adjust to the fizzing static of their radios or their bright flashlights now scanning over Will, seeing if he was alive; if Mike was cradling the last words of some other teenager. Will lifted a hand to cover his eyes-- and get the panic to die down for a moment, a breath of relief.

“Come on, we have to get you out of here-- can you stand?”

“Yeah, yeah. Nothing’s broken.”

“That wasn’t what I was asking.”

“I’m _fine_.” Will pushed himself up, nearly headbutting Mike in the process. “I’m fine, let’s go.”

Mike scrambled to his feet, holding his hands out to Will. He let Will grab onto him tightly, using his weight to ground his unsteady balance. Will was still light headed and his body still felt like it was echoing and radiating loss. The bright lights on the ceiling flared and spotted Will’s vision-- and Will wanted nothing more than to lay back down again. Mike grabbed his arm and put it over his shoulders, stringing him up.

“ _Tell me next time_.” Mike hushed, walking them toward the stairs. “You aren’t in this alone, remember? Crazy _together_.”

“Mike--”

“You _tell. me._ next time, okay?”

“Okay.” Will nodded, wiping his nose again. “I will.”

“We’ll figure this out, _alone_. No one will test you, alright? Just stay close and we’ll figure it out. I’ve got you. _I’ve got you_.”

Will didn’t remember when he’d realized they had survived. When it really hit him that they’d all made it out-- well, almost all-- and we going to be _okay._ At least for one more day. Will didn’t remember what made it clear, considering everything in him felt drained and exhausted. He wasn’t sure if it was the soothing paramedics, or if it was seeing his mother again. It might’ve been. Or it might’ve been sitting on the curb of the mall, feeling the fresh air on his face and Mike’s hand on his own. It was the reminder he wasn’t alone, he wasn’t unsupported. He had someone going with him-- going _down_ with him, if it all went bad-- no matter what.

Crazy together wasn’t just a promise, it was an oath.

**Author's Note:**

> [The Rebloggable Post!](https://argylemikewheeler.tumblr.com/post/612789262121828353/nosebleed)


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